some things to know BEFORE you move here.....

Hi.....

When we signed on to move here to Melbourne, we didn't know a lot of things I wish we had before we agreed...........

1.You pay for health insureance out of picket, in our case about $500.00 every 3 months. that DOES NOT include dental or optical, that's another $200.00 each time in our case.

2. There is no national maternity leave here, except for what an employer CHOOSES to provide, while not an issue in our case, it could be for some.

3. You pay for every local call here, and line rental is about 50% more then Canada. Mobile phones are about 50% more as well.

4. The majority of everyday things you need to live on cost much more here, and the overall cost of living here is much more like Toronto pricing then small town Canada.

I'd be happy to talk to anyone who might be negotiating a move to Melbourne..Mike

Hey Mike,

Thanks for those tips! When I get around to building an Australia section for the site I'll be sure to include them.

Thanks for the post, hope it helps some visitors!

Cheers,
Matt

Hello!
I would have to agree with you, life is quite expensive here! I am living in Sydney which has turned out to be crazy expensive! And yes I would have to agree that it is very close to Toronto, funny we are looking to buy a house and the average right now for anything decent is.....500,000. Beautiful country, but hard to get by financially. However I don't regret moving here, just have to get used to all the additional costs, health care etc, everything you mentioned!

Hang in there!
Siobhan

Hi everybody,

I am not an ex-pat canadian but a kiwi who stumbled over the site. NZ is much cheaper than australia. However, our wages are a lot less and taxes on petrol and alike mean it can be pricey. GST in australia plus our dollar strengthening means they are coming into line more with general pricing in the few items that are still relatively cheap. Socialising in NZ cities can be expensive, however, small town NZ where you meet the real characters is very cheap and extremely friendly. Kind of like comparing Canadians with Americans.
Hope it helps

Sconan!

Hi there
I am currently in the process of moving from Toronto to Australia to be with my boyfriend. Is there any other advice you can provide.
All the points you made are really great and will prepare me for life in Australia.

Any more advice will be much appreciated.

Thank you
Karolina

karolinak@rogers.com

Hi all. Fairly new to the board but have been in Brisbane since Feb. of this year.
Gotta tell ya, the weather is everything I expected it to be and then some!
The people are great and although they initially think I'm American, it's all good.
Although some things such as the health care system is different along with the phone charges, I have yet to spend a couple of hundred bucks on gas and electricity for the house due to the winter, dont have a skidoo or snowblower to maintain($$$), dont have extra vehicle bills due to having to run it to keep from freezing when I get in (from Saskatchewan),
etc. etc.
The downside is that the heat from the sun and the humidity is going to be a bear but what outweighs all of it is the fact that I am now riding year round and enjoying the heck out of it!
I have yet to fully experience a summer but from what I understand, the ideal thing is to go to Melbourne for the week between Christmas and New Years as it's a little nicer there than here.
Anyway, I am not dissapointed in the least in anything at all and am staying for a long long time.
If anyone in the Brisbane area is looking to chat because they feel homesick or need to hear another Canadian voice, let me know and I'll try to help.
Take care, Luke

Hi Luke, Iknow it's been a while since you posted but are you still in Brisie? and are you on a long visa or just the holiday maker?
I myself like the life here, yes prices are higher but so are wages, well depends where you live.

Well if ti makes you feel any better, you can't find a house here for under $500k.
I'd gamble to sat that a beat-up fix-er-upper home goes for about $650-$700k.
The average market price for a house is $1M, but have seen places around $40M.
( http://www.luxuryhomesnetwork.com/defau ... 70&pg=view )
The houses' price in the photo has been dropped significantly since Oprah bailed & no local can afford it.

Feel better now?

hello,

All kind of unrelated but housing costs, etc. I have a friend who was paralized waist-down and was having a hell of getting by on disability. He took a small loan from the bank and moved to Quantamala. Built and house and opened a bar. He said for $10,000 american dollars you can buy/build a beautiful home, downfall electricity is very un-reliable.

Just a neat little bite,

Dear friends, good day!

My name is Fabio and I am from Brazil. Me and my wife are considering
the possibility to immigrate to another country, either Canada or
Australia.

In my point of view, both your´s Canada and Australia share a lot of
values in common, but of course they are not the same country.

If it was for you to explain the main differences between Canada and
Australia, what would they be?

Please, if you can, write me as I really need an advice from someone
who has seen both realities.

Best regards,
Fábio Vasconcelos